The Yule Ball
by CourtneyEllen
Summary: Week 4: "I'm nervous too."


"Don't worry, I'm nervous too."

It had all started with that. The small whisper to Harry's right before their sorting. Ron had already been sorted, the hat picking a strange order in Harry's opinion since his own name came before Ron's in all sense of the alphabet, but he would later appreciate the sorting hat's decision. The brunet boy turned to the other brunet boy, his slightly chubby cheeks framing his face as he stared ahead. He kept glancing at Harry however, so Harry concluded it had been him that spoke.

"Do you know what house you'll be in?" Harry asked softly, not wanting to disturb the sorting that was currently happening. The boy next to him nodded his head slightly before biting his lip almost nervously. The way he held himself reminded Harry of, well himself. He held his arms close to his body and refused to take up too much space with where he was standing.

It reminded Harry of how he felt when Uncle Vernon was yelling at him. Harry didn't like that the implication of his comparison meant that this boy got abused as well. Harry had never meant another person who was in the same situation as him. He hoped he would be in the same house as this boy so he could become his friend. This boy didn't seem like he had any friends, just like Harry until a few hours ago.

"Good luck," Harry whispered once more, aware that the boy was not going to answer back while around everyone in their year. He was probably shy. The boy nodded his head slightly again.

"You too." The boy's voice was soft and Harry really liked it. Harry nodded back, a small smile on his face.

"Theodore Nott," the professor at the front called out the name, Harry taking note that it was the boy's name. Theodore fit him. Harry watched intensely as Theodore was sorted, his shoulders falling slightly when the hat called out Slytherin. Harry wondered if he could still be his friend if he wasn't in Slytherin with him. Harry wanted to go nowhere that Draco Malfoy went.

He shot Theodore a bright smile when he looked his way and clapped with the others. Theodore looked a lot less nervous than before, maybe even a bit glum, but the emotion was quickly covered with his indifferent mask. The Slytherin nodded in his direction subtly before paying attention to the sorting.

"Harry Potter," the entire hall went silent in a way that made Harry's neck itch. Why did everyone have to stare at him? He carefully made his way to the front and had his moment with the hat. He was tempted to go to Slytherin, his thoughts drifting to Theodore, but the mere thought of having to be around Malfoy made the decision easy.

"GRYFFINDOR!" Harry was deafened by the cheering from Gryffindor's table and the booing from Slytherin. He took a seat at the lion's table and shot a shy look over at Theodore. The Slytherin has his stoic mask on, but when he caught Harry's eyes, he could tell that he was glad for Harry. The boy who lived still held out hope that he could be Theodore's friend.

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Sadly, caught up with his own friends and trying not to die each year, the idea of becoming Theodore's friend had been pushed to the back of Harry's mind. Not in a mean way that he believed him better than Theodore, but there was just so much that took up his time. Including Hermione and Ron.

Do not get him wrong, he loved his friends very much, but there was a small part of Harry's brain, saddened by the betrayal of Ron and alone with the school's shunning him, that whispered that Theodore would have never left his side. The Slytherin wouldn't have made a speckle out of himself, but he wouldn't yell at Harry in the courtyard or wear those awful buttons like Ron and his dormmates, 'so-called' friends (besides Neville, of course), did.

Even Hermione had gotten fed up with him as well during that period preferring Ron to Harry. He could tell that she thought he put his name in the Goblet of Fire. The other lion did not care really, he should have known that friends would come and go.

It only took Harry almost getting burned alive by a dragon for them to realize that he actually did not want to compete in this stupid tournament! They wanted to all go back to being best friends, the golden trio, with Hermione bossing them around and Ron offering 'support'. But the damage had been done. If they really didn't believe him about the Goblet of Fire, believing that he wanted to be in this tournament than they weren't really his friends at all, were they?

So Harry continued to stay silent and on his own, shutting them out, they had shut him out so why couldn't he do the same? He didn't want to be around 'friends' that had thought the absolute worst of him when he had made it clear for the last four years that he wanted to be just Harry. He would make it through this stupid tournament and then he would be simply Harry, the little freak that used to live under the stairs.

A month into his silence and the Yule Ball had been announced. Harry had no idea who he would go with. All of the people, all three school included, still believed he cheated his way into the tournament and Harry had decided that none of them would like to go with him. Maybe McGonagall would allow him to go alone, given the circumstances? He decided not to worry about it. What was more important was the golden egg that mocked him whenever he looked at it.

Harry spent the week leading up to the Yule Ball in the library, hiding away in a corner so Hermione would not find him, studying what the egg could be. The only thing he had gathered was that the screeching was some creature and that the outline on the egg was Hogwarts and a bit of the forest. He was currently studying creatures, totally absorbed in a tomb about sirens.

"The Black Lake is missing from the egg," Harry jumped at the sudden voice, head shooting up so fast his glasses landed askew on his face. His eyes landed on the unfamiliar sight of Theodore Nott, his Slytherin robes prim and proper even though it was technically winter holidays. Harry felt a bit inadequate in his too big, holey jumper and his jeans.

He bit his lip, eyes flickering between the egg and the Slytherin. He scanned the egg over closely before he saw what Theodore mentioned. The lake wasn't on the egg! That had to mean something!

"You're right," Harry said softly, looking up at the Slytherin. He let his lips settle in a smile that he hadn't done in quite some time. Finally a break through! "Thanks," he grinned, making note of the lack of lake in his notes.

"It is nice to see your smile again," Theodore blurted out, Harry looked at the blushing boy confusedly. He hadn't even known that Theodore was watching him.

"You've been watching me, Nott?" Harry teased, not wanting to push the boy away when he obviously didn't mean to let out that information. The Slytherin scowled at him for a second before his face went back to calm one he had held when Harry was examining the egg.

"Hard not to when you are a social pariah Potter, and Theo please," the Slytherin grinned, gesturing to the chair to the left of Harry, "May I sit with you?" Harry scrambled to clean up his notes, nodding vigorously. Suddenly, staying alone did not seem more appealing. After all, Theo spoke to him first. The Slytherin chuckled at his antics and took the seat gracefully.

"Harry please," the Gryffindor mocked playfully before deciding to address what he said before.

"And not a pariah by choice," he mumbled, looking down at his notes. Harry never got much of a choice in the things that happened at Hogwarts. Even didn't even get to choose the electives he wanted to take in third year because Ron thought divination would be an easy class. Apparently his 'inner eye' was wrong by a long shot.

"You're 'Harry Potter'," Theo's mocking voice caused Harry to smile a bit, "you always are a pariah, no matter what you want." Harry felt reassured that Theo wasn't trying to use him for his name, hell he was probably the only one who liked him as just Harry, talking to him before he even knew his name.

"But since people will talk regardless, I was wondering if you would like to go to the yule ball with me?" Theo asked, his normal poise lacking. Harry would never mention it but Theo had stuttered a bit. The Slytherin must have caught his fond smile and a blush burned on his face.

"Sorry, I'm nervous," he mumbled, looking down at his lap. Harry bit his lip and reached over to grab one of Theo's trembling hands.

"I'm nervous too," he smiled, repeating the words from long ago, "but let's do it. There isn't anything more they can say about me," Harry shrugged, his cheeks spreading in a smile as one found its way on Theo's face.

"At least what they'll say will be true this time," Harry said softly, nodding at the hopeful look on Theo's face. The two boy continued on with Harry's studying, holding hands under the table and grinning whenever they looked at each other.

Harry didn't pay any attention to the people who gawked at him during the yule ball, letting Theo lead their dance and chuckle each time Harry stepped on his toes. Neville and Cedric all sent them happy looks, the only two who Harry considered friends at the moment. Theo even convinced him to dance to The Weird Sisters after the initial dance. The brunet boys had a lot of fun. Even when Ron and Hermione attempted to corner Harry, the Slytherin quickly swooped in and they spent the rest of their night in the kitchens talking about Harry and his friends. It was truly a night that Harry never forgot.

And when the first task arrived, Harry was not surprised when the person he would miss most was a certain brunet Slytherin instead of one of his friends. Thankfully being wrapped in a cloak by Neville and shielded by Theo's chest blocked Harry's view of the rather red faced Ron Weasley.

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I love Theodore soo much and there is never enough content about him besides being one of Draco's lackeys! I hope you guys enjoy this one and I'll see you next week!


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